TOP TALKER: JEH JOHNSON IS OBAMA’S PICK FOR DHS, via POLITICO’s Jennifer Epstein: Later today, President Barack Obama will announce his decision to nominate the former Pentagon general counsel, Jeh Johnson, to lead the Department of Homeland Security. http://politi.co/1aSXXBu

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Johnson’s confirmation hearing will provide senators the opportunity to voice their opposition toward some of the Obama administration’s signature — and most controversial-- policies. While at the Pentagon, Johnson was responsible for the prior legal review and approval of every military operation, including drone strikes, ordered by the president. Detainee legislation, a constant sticking point in the defense authorization bill, was also a top issue for him. And Johnson was integral to the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for gays in the military.

In 2008, Johnson raised money for Obama’s presidential campaign and served on his transition team. This 2007 New York Times article profiles Johnson, the fundraiser: http://nyti.ms/16eyXqM

To understand Johnson’s views on the administration’s counterrorism policies, two speeches are worth revisiting: “A ‘Drone Court’: Some Pros and Cons” in March at Fordham Law School http://bit.ly/19c7kN8 and “The Conflict Against Al Qaeda and its Affiliates: How Will It End?” in November 2012 at the Oxford Union. http://bit.ly/WyYD6K

Since leaving the Pentagon in December, Johnson, a former federal prosecutor, returned to private practice at the law firm Paul Weiss.

THE ‘SHADOW OF UNCERTAINTY’ LINGERS OVER DOD: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomed the reopening of the government yesterday, but didn’t sound very optimistic about what lies ahead.

“It’s important to note that Congress did not remove the shadow of uncertainty that has been cast over this department and our government much of this year,” Hagel told reporters at a news conference. “Like much of the rest of the government, DoD is now operating on a short-term continuing resolution which limits our ability to start new programs, and the damaging cuts of sequestration remain the law of the land.”

Hagel urged Congress to provide the Pentagon with the certainty it needs to conduct operations, recruit the right people and plan future budgets, reports POLITICO’s Philip Ewing. http://politico.pro/H6mVE7

BATTLEGROUND SEQUESTRATION: DOD AND INDUSTRY WANT RELIEF, via POLITICO’s Leigh Munsil: “Now that a bipartisan deal has ended the government shutdown, the resulting budget conference committee is the new best hope for turning off the cuts that have hit the Pentagon and defense industry hard and threaten to get even worse.” http://politico.pro/175oAGw

SHUTDOWN COST DOD AT LEAST $600 MILLION: That’s according to Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale, who told reporters yesterday that the final tally could be much higher.

PENTAGON BEING CAUTIOUS, BUT NOT SUPER CAUTIOUS: Hale said DoD would start operating at the level of spending mandated under the continuing resolution or maybe a little lower.

That means the department will not start this fiscal year spending at 2014 sequestration levels, which some have suggested would be an even safer approach in case the across-the-board cuts remain in place.

But, DoD is being more cautious than last year, when the Pentagon, hoping for the best, kept spending money at the level it had asked for in its 2013 budget request.

DON’T FORGET TO FILL IN THOSE TIMESHEETS, via Stars and Stripes’ Chris Carroll and J. Taylor Rushing: As employees returned from the shutdown, the Pentagon urged them to review their time cards to ensure they get compensated for back pay. DoD officials said most employees will receive retroactive payments in electronic paychecks on Oct. 25, or in standard checks on Oct. 30. http://1.usa.gov/1bZDpfS

EVERYONE GETS PAID … NOT QUITE: A reader wrote in to clarify an item in yesterday’s Morning Defense. Unfortunately, not everyone affected by the government shutdown is getting paid.

“All the government contractors who were furloughed because the buildings in which they sit were closed — will NOT get paid for the time off,” said David Pitoniak, who works for a defense contractor.

-- HAGEL KNOWS THIS IS HURTING MORALE: “We can’t keep doing this to our people,” he said yesterday. “Good people will leave the government. They're not going to put up with this.”

IT’S FRIDAY. Thank you for reading Morning Defense all week. With the shutdown over, possible weekend outings around D.C. can now include the National Zoo, Theodore Roosevelt Island or a hike in Shenandoah National Park. Enjoy! And always, send your latest defense news, tips, feedback to kbrannen@politico.com. Don't forget to follow on Twitter at @k8brannen, @morningdefense and @PoliticoPro for the latest.

SNOWDEN: ‘ZERO PERCENT CHANCE’ CHINA OR RUSSIA HAS MY DOCS, via The New York Times’ James Risen: In a new interview, former NSA contractor Edward Snowden says he took no classified documents to Russia and gave all the ones he had to journalists while in Hong Kong.

GREEN LIGHT FOR DEBORAH LEE JAMES: Sen. Kelly Ayotte lifted her hold on the Air Force secretary nominee yesterday. The New Hampshire Republican had stopped James from moving forward over concerns she had about the Air Force’s retirement plans for its fleet of A-10 Warthogs.

In response to the senator’s questions, the Air Force said it could save $3.5 billion over four years if it retired the fleet, but said no final decision had been made.

-- YELLOW LIGHT FOR JO ANN ROONEY, via POLITICO’s Austin Wright: The president’s nominee to be the next undersecretary of the Navy is trying to fight off criticism after an answer she gave on sexual assault provoked outrage among victims’ advocates.

POST-GENEVA, SKEPTICISM EMERGES ON IRAN, via The Washington Post’s Joby Warrick and Jason Rezaian: Iranian and Western diplomats are keeping the details of their negotiations in Geneva this week secret. Still, that hasn’t kept opponents from voicing their doubt that a deal is possible. http://wapo.st/15M7WbQ

ALWAYS GET A SECOND SOURCE: Fox News incorrectly reported yesterday that Rep. Bill Young — the longest-serving Republican in Congress and the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee’s defense panel — had died. The rumor had spread quickly on Twitter, and a spokesman soon set the record straight. The congressman is "gravely ill" but still alive, reports POLITICO’s Hadas Gold. http://politi.co/16j0qm5

Young, 82, announced last week that he planned to retire at the end of his term.

AS TROOPS LEAVE AFGHANISTAN, BRITS ASK: WHAT WAS IT ALL FOR? via The New York Times’ Alan Cowell: In 2002, Britain committed 1,700 soldiers to join American troops to fight the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. By 2009, the number reached 9,000 British forces. And today, the war has left 444 British military personnel dead. Now with troops coming home, some Britons are wondering whether the loss of blood and treasure was worth it. http://nyti.ms/1aS5GzL

BROKEN EQUIPMENT BECOMING BIG PROBLEM IN AFGHANISTAN, via The Washington Post’s Kevin Sieff: The biggest threat to the Afghan army could be its inability to fix equipment once it breaks. After doing the repairs for years, the U.S. military has handed the job over to Afghans.

“But with the Afghan supply chain still undeveloped and the Defense Ministry still hobbled by corruption, army units across the country aren’t getting the gear and parts that they need.” http://wapo.st/1d1x6rx

RED SOX NATION AND THE #SHUTDOWNBEARD: In Washington, the return to work also signaled it was time to start shaving again. http://politi.co/19bFgcS

Not so in Red Sox Nation. Check out Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli. Now, that’s a beard. http://usat.ly/1bA7aj6

MAKING MOVES:

-- Adam Goldman is joining The Washington Post’s national security team on Dec. 1 as a reporter covering terrorism. He’s currently an investigative reporter at The Associated Press, covering national security, the intel community and the NYPD intelligence division.

SPEED READ:

-- The Union of Concerned Scientists says the Obama administration’s plan to modernize the country’s nukes is misguided and violates the spirit of its pledge not to develop new nuclear arms. Reuters. http://reut.rs/16jp5H6

-- U.S. troops are likely to see only a 1 percent pay increase next year. Army Times: http://bit.ly/H49K7D

-- Secretary of State John Kerry says he hopes Syria’s chemical weapons will be consolidated and then put on a ship and moved out of the region. NPR. http://n.pr/19OorBy

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Authors:

About The Author

Kate Brannen is a defense reporter for POLITICO Pro.

Before coming to POLITICO, Brannen covered congress for Defense News, providing regular coverage of the budget debate on Capitol Hill and its implications for national security. Previously, she spent three years covering the U.S. Army — first as a reporter for InsideDefense.com, then as the land warfare correspondent for Defense News.

Brannen graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, with a bachelor's degree in history. She has received graduate degrees from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and School of International and Public Affairs.